Reno’s Arts District

Sierra Arts mounts exhibits and other cultural events in its riverside gallery.

You’d have to come up with something dramatic to compete with the giant red Harrah’s logo that dominates the Reno skyline. Like, for instance, the nearby Truckee River. Its waters and refurbished banks form the lively centerpiece of the Truckee River Arts District, a place where the city’s attractions have expanded beyond gaming to art, culture, and nature.Although the big-box casinos hold their ground, three that have gone dark are now marked for redevelopment. What’s more, the remaining casinos hand out maps that guide visitors to the area’s museums, galleries, boutiques, theaters, parks, and café-style dining.

The official arts district stretches from Idlewild Park in the west to Lake Street in the east, and from California Avenue on the southern end to West First Street in the north. But, says Mary Ann McAuliffe, the arts and culture manager of the Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority, "it’s all about the river." The Truckee River travels some 105 miles from Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake north of Reno, rambling through downtown like performance art.

Stroll its banks on a granite walkway and admire marble and bronze sculptures, such as John Battenberg’s bronzes of creatures native to Nevada, amid cottonwoods that tremble green in summer, gold in fall. At Truckee River Whitewater Park, which surrounds an island called Wingfield Park, you can watch or join kayakers plying their craft. On the south bank, painters, sculptors, and photographers live and work in the Riverside Artist Lofts, a 1927 hotel by Frederic J. DeLongchamps, who designed many of Nevada’s important buildings. This architectural gem, saved from Vegas-style implosion, reopened in 2000 as affordable housing for artists. The Sierra Arts Gallery on the ground floor is open to the public, unlike the upstairs lofts, and hosts a variety of art exhibitions.

Follow David Boyer’s fanciful wind-powered kinetic banners along the River Walk down West First Street. It’s easy to forget you’re in the birthplace of Nevada’s gaming industry as you browse bohemian, chic, and avant-garde spots. At Dharma Books, owned by two Jack Kerouac fans, you can find used and collectible books, plus big sections of works on art, music, and Nevada and the West. The Brüka Theater invites spectators to sit on sofas for plays such as Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Sasha’s Boutique features classic and contemporary apparel. And at the vegetarian Pneumatic Diner, a neon-lit space—think Edward Hopper crossed with Alice’s Restaurant—you can get filling burritos and sandwiches like the ratatouille baguette (vegetables baked on French bread with cheese and pesto).

La Bussola shows off owner Meredith Tanzer’s keen eye for art that is retro, shabby, lowbrow, beach cottage, and functionally fabulous. She sells the work of more than 85 artists, from $10 bracelets and vintage-style bar towels to Buddha clocks and imaginative furniture such as a $700 hand-painted country hutch.

For fine arts, head to the Nevada Museum of Art at the south end of the district. Since its opening in 2003, the museum has featured the work of such luminaries as Auguste Rodin, Ansel Adams, and Maynard Dixon. The sleek building, inspired by Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, sports a rooftop sculpture garden with a view of 10,776-foot Mount Rose.

Near California Avenue, Pilates and yoga studios and a tearoom adjoin fashionable eateries including the Cheese Board & Wine Seller and clothiers such as Kalifornia Jean Bar, where burning incense does not obscure the unholy prices of distressed jeans—they start at $165.

Four blocks north, caffeine fiends fuel their musings at Dreamer’s Coffee House on a patio with a view of the river. Live music may waft over from EJ’s Jazz Café—a bar and restaurant that serves Cajun food next door—in tune with the singing of a riverside rescued from its former seediness. It’s part of the town’s best bet on a new way to delight its visitors.

Hot Tip To cruise the Truckee River Arts District, catch the Sierra Spirit, a free shuttle. Look for one about every 10 minutes at any of 32 marked bus stops in Reno, eight within the arts district. For information go to www.rtcwashoe.com and click on Sierra Spirit.

This article was first published in May 2006. Some facts may have aged gracelessly. Please call ahead to verify information.